The present invention relates to accessory-mounting assemblies for mounting accessories at a distance from exterior surfaces of a vehicle. Such accessories that are mounted at a distance from exterior surfaces of a vehicle, the accessory-mounting assemblies to which the accessories are mounted, and the vehicle, are all vulnerable to damage if the accessories or the accessory-mounting assemblies are subjected to a substantial impact. In order to prevent damage to any of these components, such accessory-mounting assemblies are often constructed such that they have a xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d feature. The xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d feature of an accessory-mounting assembly allows the accessory-mounting assembly and or the accessories that are mounted to it to absorb the energy of impacts by moving in intended directions when the accessory-mounting assembly and/or the accessories that are mounted to it are subjected to an impact. For instance, some accessory-mounting systems include an accessory-mounting component that is pivotally engaged to a first pivot bracket and a second pivot bracket. The first pivot bracket and the second pivot bracket, of such an accessory-mounting system, are generally fixedly engaged to exterior surface(s) of the vehicle. The accessory-mounting component of such an accessory-mounting system generally can be pivoted about a pivot axis that extends through the points of engagement of the accessory-mounting component to the first pivot bracket and the second pivot bracket. Thus, when the accessory-mounting component and/or any accessories that are mounted to the accessory-mounting component are subjected to a substantial impact in directions perpendicular to the pivot axis, the accessory-mounting component will pivot about the pivot axis. This xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d feature of such an accessory-mounting assembly allows the accessory-mounting assembly to absorb impacts in directions perpendicular to the pivot axis while reducing the risk that the vehicle, the accessory-mounting assembly, or the accessories mounted to the accessory-mounting assembly will be damaged. Such accessory-mounting assemblies often have an anti-rotation member engaged at a first end to the accessory-mounting component and at a second end to an anti-rotation bracket. The anti-rotation bracket is generally fixedly engaged to an exterior surface of the vehicle. The purpose of the anti-rotation member is to prevent forces imparted to the accessory-mounting assembly during normal operation of the vehicle from causing undesirable rotation of the accessory-mounting component about the pivot axis. In general, accessory-mounting assemblies that have such an anti-rotation member still allow the accessory-mounting component to rotate about the pivot axis when the accessory-mounting component or the accessories mounted to it are subjected to a substantial impact in directions perpendicular to the pivot axis. In order to enable such functionality the engagement of the first end of the anti-rotation member to the accessory-mounting component and the engagement of the second end of the anti-rotation member to the anti-rotation bracket are usually xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d style engagements. Such xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d style engagements allow for xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d motions between each respective end of the anti-rotation member and the component that it is engaged to when the engagement is subjected to relatively large forces. The xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d motions of the anti-rotation member relative to the other components of the accessory-mounting assembly allow for rotation of the accessory-mounting component about the pivot axis. Such xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d style engagements are, however, preferably constructed in a manner preventing forces imparted upon the accessory-mounting assembly as a result of events that occur during normal operation of the vehicle from causing the anti-rotation member to undergo its xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d motions. Thus, the accessory-mounting component is held in its intended position during normal operation of the vehicle but will xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d and rotate about the pivot axis when the accessory-mounting component or the accessories mounted to it are subjected to a substantial impact.
In addition to the first pivot bracket, the second pivot bracket, and the anti-rotation bracket described above a vehicle may also have component-mounting brackets for mounting additional components to exterior surfaces of the vehicle. The proliferation of such brackets mounted to a vehicle can be expensive for a number of reasons. It is often costly to purchase unique machinery to make each different type of bracket for mounting to exterior surfaces of the vehicle. It is also labor intensive and therefore costly to assemble numerous brackets to accessories, components of accessory-mounting assemblies and the vehicle.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an accessory-mounting assembly that makes it possible to mount a number of accessories at a distance from exterior surfaces of a vehicle while employing a minimum number of brackets mounted to exterior surfaces of the vehicle. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an accessory-mounting assembly that has a xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d feature to reduce the risk that substantial impacts to the accessory-mounting assembly or the accessories that are mounted to it will cause damage to the vehicle, the accessory-mounting assembly, or the accessories mounted to the accessory-mounting assembly. The accessory-mounting assembly of the present invention includes an accessory-mounting component. The accessory-mounting component is engaged to a first pivot bracket and a second pivot bracket. The engagement of the accessory-mounting component to the first pivot bracket and the second pivot bracket is such that the accessory-mounting component can be pivoted about a pivot axis. The pivot axis extends through a point of engagement between the accessory-mounting component and the first pivot bracket and through a point of engagement between the accessory-mounting component and the second pivot bracket. The first pivot bracket and the second pivot bracket are fixedly engaged to exterior surfaces of the vehicle. The accessory-mounting assembly of the present invention also includes an anti-rotation member. A first end of the anti-rotation member is engaged to the accessory-mounting component. A second end of the anti-rotation member is engaged to an anti-rotation bracket. The anti-rotation bracket of the present invention is integrally engaged to the first pivot bracket. Because the anti-rotation bracket is constructed of one and the same component as the first pivot bracket, costs for producing machinery to produce the two brackets are minimized and labor to assemble the accessory-mounting assembly is also minimized. The combined first pivot bracket and anti-rotation bracket spans portions of exterior surfaces of the vehicle that are generally left void of componentry by accessory-mounting assemblies that employ a first pivot bracket and an anti-rotation bracket that are separate components. Thus, the combined first pivot bracket and anti-rotation bracket provide greater structural reinforcement for exterior surfaces of the vehicle than would an accessory-mounting assembly that utilized a separate first pivot bracket and anti-rotation bracket. The combined first pivot bracket and anti-rotation bracket also generally reduces the cost to provide for the engagement of the first pivot bracket and the anti-rotation bracket to the exterior surfaces of the vehicle as compared to an accessory-mounting assembly employing a separate first pivot bracket and anti-rotation bracket. The combined first pivot bracket and anti-rotation bracket generally require less fasteners and less locating features such as holes, tabs, notches, or recesses in the exterior surfaces of the vehicle than would a separate first pivot bracket and anti-rotation bracket. The purpose of the anti-rotation member is to prevent forces imparted to the accessory-mounting assembly as a result of events that occur during normal operation of the vehicle from causing undesirable rotation of the accessory-mounting component about the pivot axis. The accessory-mounting assembly does, however, allow the accessory-mounting component to rotate about the pivot axis when the accessory-mounting component or the accessories mounted to it are subjected to a substantial impact in directions perpendicular to the pivot axis. The action of the accessory-mounting component rotating about the pivot axis in response to a substantial impact, which is generally referred to as xe2x80x9cbreaking awayxe2x80x9d, is intended to reduce the risk of damage to the vehicle and the accessory-mounting assembly when the accessory-mounting component absorbs impacts. In order to enable this functionality the engagement of the first end of the anti-rotation member to the accessory-mounting component and the engagement of the second end of the anti-rotation member to the second pivot bracket are xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d style engagements. Such xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d style engagements allow for xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d motions between each respective end of the anti-rotation member and the component that it is engaged to when the engagement is subjected to relatively large forces as a result of the accessory mounting component being subjected to a substantial impact. The xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d motions of the anti-rotation member relative to the other components of the accessory-mounting assembly allow for rotation of the accessory-mounting component about the pivot axis. Such xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d style engagements are, however, preferably constructed in a manner preventing relatively small forces imparted upon the accessory-mounting assembly as a result of events that occur during normal operation of the vehicle from causing the anti-rotation member to undergo its xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d motions. Thus, the accessory-mounting component is held in its intended position during normal operation of the vehicle but will xe2x80x9cbreak awayxe2x80x9d and rotate about the pivot axis when the accessory-mounting component or the accessories mounted to it are subjected to a substantial impact. One or more accessories are mounted to the accessory-mounting component of the accessory-mounting assembly. Thus, it can be seen that the above mentioned objects of the invention as well as others not mentioned have been met.